Method of and apparatus for curling strand material



Oct. 6, 1936. R. F. SEDGLEY 2,056,213

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CURLING STRAND MATERIAL Filed July 17, 1935 2 sneaks-sheet 1 INVENTOR BY 1% %m Oct. 6, 1936. R. F. SEDGLEY METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CURLING STRAND MATERIAL Filed July 17, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 t I gfVKFEITOE I l, 3 M

i rroRNEY Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,056,213 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CURL- ING STRAND MATERIAL Reginald F. Sedgley, Philadelphia, Pa. Application July 17, 1935, Serial No. 31,827

REISSUED 16 Claims. (Cl. 140-71) tion, if employed, may be performed separately from or simultaneously with the curling operation.

In my Reissue Patent No. 18,576, I have described and broadly claimed a novel Method of and machine for curling, wherein the strand is drawn under tension over a curling edge to impart to it an inherent tendency to form a helical coil when released from tension.

In my present invention the strand, preferably a metallic strand, passes directly from the deforming rolls, if the contour of the strand in cross section is to be changed, or directly from tensioned spools to a revolving mandrel which latter may be round or have any desired contour in cross section. As the strand winds around the mandrel, it is subjected to a frictional pressure which facilitates the automatic removal of the coiled strand from the mandrel.

The rolling may be done in the same machine or in a separate machine.

The coiled strand may be tangled, or reeled, and formed into bunches, or otherwise treated and packaged in accordance with the manner in which it is to be used.

One or more strands may be curled at a time around the same mandrel and collected on a Single reel or on different reels, and, in practice, five separate strands have been simultaneously coiled to form a single flexible metallic bunch.

With the above and other objects in view as will hereinafter fully appear, my invention comprehends a, novel method of and apparatus for curling or coiling strand material.

It further comprehends a novel method of and apparatus for curling one or more strands, wherein one or more strands are passed directly to a revolving and preferably tapered mandrel around which they are wound by the revolution of the mandrel and during the winding they are subjected to a frictional pressure which facilitates the progressive removal of the helical coils from the mandrel.

Other novel features of construction and advantage will hereinafter more clearly appear in the detailed description and the appended claims.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings typical embodiments of it, which in practice, will give satisfactory and reliable results. It is, however, to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and my invention is not limited to the exact arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein set forth.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for curling strand material, and which may be employed in carrying out in practice my novel method.

Figure 2 is a section of a spool and its holder, the section being taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the curling apparatus, taken at a different angle from that seen in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 3, showing the pressure adjusting means for a friction roll.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a combined machine embodying my invention, and, in which, one or more strands are rolled and curled at the same time in the same machine.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the mandrel shaft. with one form of mandrel shown in section.

Figure 7 shows cross sectional views of different forms of mandrels.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a portion of the curling mechanism, showing more particularly driving mechanism.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the curling mandrel and certain of its adjuncts.

Similar numerals indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

Referring first to Figures 1 to 4, I will first describe a preferred construction which can be employed in performing the curling operation, since the same curling mechanism is illustrated in connection with the combined rolling and curling machine seen in Figure 1.

The curling mechanism The curling mechanism is provided with a base i, to which a frame 2, of any desired or conventional construction, nates a tapered mandrel which is threaded at one end to adapt it to be detachably connected with a shaft 4 journalled in the frame 2. This mandrel 3 may have any desired contour in cross section. For example, it may be round or polygonal in cross section. The mandrel 3 at its inner end has an annular flange 6 and a fillet 6.

is secured. 3 desig-' The shaft 4 may be driven by any desired a belt 9.

source of power, and, for I have shown an electric the base I. as fixed to purpose of illustration motor I mounted on it a pulley 8, around which passes which also passes around a pulley III on a counter shaft ll, ioumalled in the frame 2. The counter shaft has a variable speed pulley l2 fixed to it, and a belt l3 passes around the pulley l2 and around a variable speed pulley H on the shaft 4 to effect the revolution at a desired speed of the mandrel 3. A strand ll, of material to be curled, passes through a slot in a guide or comb I 6 to. the drel 3, and one or more strands may pass through separate openings or the same opening in the guide IS. A spool support II, has a spindle i8 to receive a spool I 9, on which the strand to be curled is wound. Each spool is provided in some manner with means to produce a drag tending to retard the revolution of the spool so as to keep the strand taut as it is being unwound from its spool and while it is passing to the mandrel. This may be accomplished by the weight of a spool on its support or on another spool or by any desired type of frictional spool tensioning means such as is well known in the art. The spool may have frictional material between it and its support.

As the strands are wound around the mandrel 3, the coils of the strands are subjected to a frictional pressure from a friction roll 20 revolubly mounted on a carrier 22, the pin, of the roller passing through a slot 23, see Figure 4. An adjusting rod 24 is grooved at 25 to enter a slot 26 and prevent longitudinal movement of the adjusting rod. The forward end of the adjusting rod 24 is threaded to the carrier 2|, so that the friction roll 20 can be ad- Justed relatively to the mandrel 3. The bracket 22 has connected with it a rod 21 which passes through an inclined slot 23 in a bracket 30 secured to the machine frame, and a nut 3| threaded on the rod 21 secures the bracket 22 in its adjusted angular position, so that the friction roll may have its face disposed at an angle to the axisof rotation of the mandrel 3. The friction roll 20 is thus free to revolve when brought into contact with the revolving mandrel 3, and, if it is angularly disposed relatively to the curling mandrel, it facilitates the progressive removal of the the curling mandrel.

The curled strand or strands pass from the free end of the curling mandrel over a slowly revolving roll 32, preferably provided with a groove 33 to position the curled strand or strands. The roll 32 is driven from the shaft 4 by a belt 34, see Figure 8, passing around a pulley 35 on the shaft 4 and around a pulley 36 on a worm shaft 31. The worm meshes with a pinion 38 on a stud shaft 39 which carries a pulley 43 around which passes a belt 4| which also passes around a pulley 42 fixed to the shaft of the revolving roll 32.

The strand carrying spools may be mounted in any desired manner. The main spool l9, see Figure 1, is mounted in the spool support I! adjustably secured to the frame, and the headed spindle l8 has a tension adjusting member 43 in the form of a recessed nut to move a spring 44 against a head of the strand carrying spool, see Figure 2. Auxiliary strand carrying spools may be mounted in any desired manner. In Figures 1 and 2, I have shown a spool holder 45 the spincoils from the free end of The shaft of the electric motor 1 curling manr dle of which carries the auxiliary spools 43 and 41 so that three strands are curled at the same time. Any desired number of strand carrying spools may be used, and in practice I have curled five strands at the same time to form a single bunch on the construction illustrated. The lower strand carrying spool is tensioned by the friction of its lower head on its support, and the upper spool by frictional engagement with the lower spool. The frictional drag thus formed can be increased by supplying friction creating material to the lowerheads of the spools or in any other desired manner.

After the curled strand passes from the revolving roll, it may be tangled, reeled or treated in any desired or conventional manner to form metallic bunches. As illustrated, it is reeled into skein formation on a reel 48 rotatably mounted on the frame 2, and having its shaft 49 provided with a pulley 50, around which a belt 5| passes. The belt 5i passes also around a pulley 52 and around a pulley 53 on the shaft 49.

The curled strand accumulates on the reel until it is of a desired size and the operator cuts the strand, removes the skein, and allows it to contract to form a flexible metallic bunch. The operator then winds the free end of the cut strand around an arm of the reel, and the operation is repeated.

I make no claim to the reeling mechanism per se, as the curled strand or strands may be bunched or skeined in any desired manner.

In Figure 7, I have shown a few of many forms of curling mandrels which can be advantageously employed. At 54, the mandrel is shown as round in cross section. At 55, it is shown as having six sides; at 56 as having three sides; and at 51 as having four sides. The curlin'g mandrel is preferably tapered but it may be in the form of a cylindrical rod or tube.

My present invention is especially adapted, although not limited to such use, for curling a metallic strand a few ten thousandths in thickness for the formation of flexible metallic bunches for use in cleaning and polishing any desired articles or materia As herein disclosed the strand may be rolled in a separate rolling unit to any desired contour in cross section, spooled and the spools used on the curling-apparatus which has its own motor drive. It may also be rolled and curled in the same machine as shown in Figure 1, wherein the construction for rolling and cycle of operation is substantially the same as that shown in my reissue patent, to which I have herein before referred, and which is now well known in this art. The individual motor drive for the curling mechanism as herein disclosed may be employed in the combined rolling and curling machine, or the shaft 4 of the curling mechanism may be operatively connected in any desired manner with the driving means for the rolls which change the contour of the strand in cross section. The preferred form of strand is a round wire, which is flattened to form four abrading edges.

The rolls 58 are driven by a belt drive 59 from an electric motor 60. A plurality of strand carrying spools iii are carried by a spool holder 62,

around a nulley 66 on the shaft of the driving roll of the rolls 58. The rolls 58 place a tension or drag on the strands passing to the curling mandrel.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that, in carrying out in practice my novel method, the strand or strands are held taut between the rolls and the curling mandrel, or between the spools and the curling mandrel in case the wire has been preformed to provide the desired cross sectional contour. The strand or strands in the curling operation pass from .the rolls 58 as in Figure l or from the spools as in the other figures around a revolving mandrel, preferably tapered, and curl around the mandrel and a plurality of strands can be curled to form a continuous helical coil the coils of which are progressively pushed off the mandrel by the coils in rear of them. To facilitate the progressive removal of the coils as they are formed from the curling mandrel, I employ a rolling frictional pressure against the coils on the mandrel and this pressure is preferably applied at an angle to the axis of rotation of the curling mandrel.

The strand after curling is in the form of coreless helical metallic strands, the coils of which can be interlocked in any desired manner to form a bunch of substantially fixed formation, but which is flexible and resilient, and, due to the tension inherent in the strands, the bunch when stretched and released will return to substantially its original formation. This enables one to maintain the bunch in a sanitary condition as it can be scrubbed, when stretched, with soap and water or other cleansing fluid to remove grease or other foreign matter adhering to it.

Any desired number of curling mechanisms can be assembled in a single machine with a common drive for the the shafts 4, the rolls 32, the reels 48 and the flattening rolls, and'as this will be clear to one skilled in this art, it is not deemed necessary to illustrate and describe in detail a multiple mandrel machine of such character, as it would involve unnecessary duplication in the drawings .and description.

I have illustrated and described a friction roll 20, and, while I prefer to employ it, it can be omitted if desired as well as the revolving roll 32. In such case, the reel revolves at a suitable speed relatively to the curling mandrel to draw the coiled strand directly from the curling mandrel. The friction roll 20, if employed, is preferably of resilient material.

In accordance with this invention, the uncurled strand passes continuously as long as the supply lasts to the curling mandrel and automatically passes oif the forward end of the mandrel.

The length of the curled or coiled strand is dependent only on the amount of wire at the strand supply.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a new and useful method of and apparatus for curling strand material which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described preferred embodiments thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that these embodiments are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a curling apparatus, a positively driven, revoluble mandrel, means to revolve said mandrel and means to exert a frictional yielding pressure against the first coil of the curled strand on the mandrel. I

2. In a curling apparatus, a positively driven, revoluble mandrel around which a strand is curled by the revolution of the mandrel, means to revolve said mandrel, and means to exert a frictional, yielding pressure against the first coil of the curled strand on the mandrel, said pressure ex-- erting means exerting its pressure in a direction to facilitate the automatic removal of the curled strand from the mandrel.

3. In a curling apparatus a positively driven mandrel, means to revolve it to cause a strand to curl around it, means to exert a frictional, yielding pressure against the first coil of the curled strand on the mandrel, and a driven roll over which the curled strand passes from the mandrel.

4. In a curling apparatus, a positively driven revoluble, tapered mandrel supported at one end only and around which a strand curls due to revolution of the mandrel, means to create a drag on the strand passing to the mandrel, and means to revolve said mandrel to cause the strand to assume the form of a continuous helical coil as it passes off the free end of said mandrel.

5. In a curling apparatus, a positively driven, revoluble, tapered mandrel polygonal in cross section and around which a strand is'curled by the revolution of the mandrel, means to revolve said mandrel, means to exert a frictional, yielding pressure against curls on the mandrel, and a strand supply from which the strand passes to said mandrel.

6. In a coiling apparatus, a tensioned spool for a strand to be curled, a positively driven mandrel around which the strand is drawn and curled by the revolution of the mandrel, means to revolve said mandrel, and means to exert a frictional, yielding pressureagainst the curled strand on the mandrel.

7. In a curling apparatus, a shaft suitably mounted, means to revolve said shaft, a curling I mandrel detachably connected at one end to said shaft, and around which a strand is curled by the revolution of the mandrel, a friction roll free to revolve, means to adjust the position of said roll relatively to said mandrel to cause the roll to exert a frictional, yielding pressure against the first coil on the mandrel, and a strand supply from which a strand passes tosaid mandrel.

8. In a curling apparatus, a positively driven, curling mandrel supported at one end, means to revolve said mandrel, a strand supply from which a strand is drawn by said mandrel and around which it is curled by the revolution of the mandrel, means to exert a frictional, yielding pressure against the strand as it is being curled on the mandrel, and a revolving roll over which the curled strand passes after it leaves the mandrel.

9. In a curling apparatus, a positively driven, curling mandrel supported at one end, means to revolve said mandrel, a strand supply from which a strand is drawn bysaid mandrel and around which it is curled by the revolution of the mandrel, means to exert a frictional, yielding pressure against the strand as it is being curled on the mandrel, a revolving roll over which the curled strand passes after it leaves the mandrel, and means to skein the strand after it leaves the revolving roll.

10. The method of curling a metallic strand into a continuous helical coil, which consists in drawing a metallic strand from its source of supply by a positively driven, revolving mandrel, and curling it around the mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel, and subjecting the curls being formed on the mandrel to yielding pressure to facilitate the formation of the coils and their progressive removal from the free end of the mandrel.

11. The method of curling a strand into a contlnuous helical coil, which consists in passing a strand to be curled around a positively driven, revolving tapered mandrel, and subjecting the coils on the mandrel as they are being formed to a frictional, rolling pressure exerted towards the mandrel.

12. The method of curling a thin metallic strand into a continuous helical coil, which consists in drawing a strand around a positively driven, revolving, tapered mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel to curl the strand by the revolution of the mandrel, and subjecting the strand being curled on the mandrel to the pressure action of a roll free to revolve. e

13. The method of curling a thin metallic strand into a continuous helical coil, which consists in drawing a tensioned strand to a positively driven, revolving, tapered mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel and curling it around the mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel, and exerting an angularly directed rolling pressure on the coils as they are being initially formed on the mandrel.

14. The method of curling, which consists in subjecting a strand to an operation to change its contour in cross section to less than one thousandth of an inch in thickness, drawing the strand thus treated to a positively driven revolving mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel and curling it around the mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel to pass from the mandrel in the form of a continuous helical coil.

15. The method of curling, which consists in subjecting a metallic strand to be curled to a rolling operation, then drawing the strand to a positively driven, revolving, tapered mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel and curling it around the mandrel by the revolution of the mandrel, exerting a rolling pressure against the mandrel to facilitate the progressive removal of the coils from one end of the mandrel to produce a curled strand in the form of a continuous helical coil, and forming the coiled strand into metallic bunches with the coils of adjacent strand portions interlocked.

16., The method of curling a metallic strand less than one thousandth of an inch in thickness, which consists in placing a drag on the strand supply, winding the free end of a strand a few turns about a positively driven mandrel, revolving the mandrel to draw the strand from the strand supply and to curl the strand and form coils, and automatically moving the coils from the mandrel by the pressure of a coil being formed against a formed coil.

REGINALD F. SEDGLEY. 

